I think built-ins look nice, having a bench in the foyer would be nice, esp if you put enclosed storage underneath and the pantry is huge so you can certainly spare the extra few inches from there.

How is your husband? I've been wondering how things were for you and your family.

As far as the entry, I personally think that's a lot of real estate for a foyer, and in the scheme of things how many people are going to be using the bench? But you've got a huge pantry! Do you buy in bulk or have a huge family to feed?
Is the purpose of recessing the bench to get it behind the entry glass sidelights?
I'm not much help, am I?

I think you need to recess the bench to have enough clearance for someone to sit at the bench and still have room for another person to walk through the door. Think of a party with several people arriving.

mlweaving,
thanks for asking! He's doing very well. Still no weight bearing, but everything is healing up as expected. He sees the docs again next week and hoping for permission to start some physical therapy. He can't wait to get back to work, maybe the last week of January.

As far as the huge pantry, yes, it was that way by design. I have a special needs child who gets into foodstuffs that are in drawers/cabinets and I didn't want to have to worry about child proofing (ie ruining) each drawer/cabinet door. The simple solution is putting all food in a pantry which is easily lockable (he still can't figure out doorknob covers, but I have several other more complicated solutions in mind should he eventually figure out the doorknob covers). Plus I do shop at Costco for bulk items and I'll be storing small appliances like stand mixer, bread maker, crockpot, and I'll be putting a second fridge in there also. I'm considering a section for the printer/shredder/paper recycling as well. I have yet to design the panry in full but I think it will store a lot.

As far as how often it will be used....not sure....we don't entertain frequently. But it could be a nice place to wait for the bus each morning also.
Chispa,
Thanks for the input, good point about the clearance. The whole entry is 8 feet wide, with a bench there it would be under 7. The sidelights are 18" wide a piece.

Glad to hear your DH has improved. I was wondering about you too. I love your recessed bench idea. Sure wish I could do that too. I really don't think you will miss that space in the pantry.

Carol

illini-great news!

I actually took a pic of a smaller nook in a parade home last summer that I loved. I think it's a perfect spot to use just as you described. Anyhow - thought I'd attach the pics I took, fwiw.

I vote for the recessed bench. I think that would look nicer.

This seems like an informal, casual-type feature that would belong near the family entrance instead of the front door. What's the rest of your home like? Is it casual?

A good design will be fine in the entry way.

I vote for the recessed bench. I love the pictures posted above.

Glad to hear your DH is doing better.

I like it but what do these changes do to the other architectural features?

The opening between the foyer and the family room is narrowed considerably. You have lost your symmetry in the front door placement. Is there room for trim on the pantry window or does that window need to be made smaller. Are any other features impacted?

red lover,
good points. Let's see if I can address them, or think them through at least.

Opening from foyer to family room- not really narrowed because there is no wall across from the coat closet. Perhaps it's confusing because the lines there only show ceiling height differences. The first 6 feet of the foyer from the front door inwards are defined by the den wall on the left and the pantry/coat closet wall on the left. After the first 6 feet there's no wall on the right. Does that make sense?

Symmetry of the front door- YES, this is a good point, and one of the things I'm wondering about in factoring in this decision....how will that look? would it be odd? I think a built in bench may exaggerate the asymmetry vs a free standing bench but I'm not sure.

Pantry trim-YES, another valid point I'd have to look into. Although it's not a window many people will see so if it had to be made narrower I don't think it would be a big deal....would it?

I don't *think* any other architectural features would be impacted but this is a risk since it's a change I'm making 'on my own' and not with the house designers help.

of course, if it turns out badly I'm going to be the one to blame and since my husband isn't a fan to begin with I'm risking him getting irritated with me.